TPG Telecom has identified a second death that could be linked to a customer not being able to connect to Triple Zero.

As in the previous case, the victim was using a Samsung mobile phone, reports say.

This new case follows the death of a TPG customer in Sydney last month after a Samsung phone with outdated software didn’t connect to Triple Zero.

TPG Telecom revealed the new death as a Senate committee hearing into Triple Zero outages and resilience took place in Canberra today.

Communications Minister Anika Wells was noticeably absent despite having received an invitation to attend from inquiry chair Senator Sarah Hanson-Young.

“TPG was made aware on December 8, 2025, that the calls to Triple Zero may have been made in connection with an individual who has lost their life,” TPG Telecom said in a statement.

“We have sought to clarify the circumstances, but details have not yet been verified by relevant emergency authorities.”

TPG Telecom chief executive Iñaki Berroeta revealed the new death at the parliamentary hearing, the ABC Online reports.

“What we know … is … the customer was calling Triple Zero on that device, it did not work, the device was not compatible with the 4G calling emergency service,” Mr Berroeta said.

“And then five minutes later, that device was able to reach emergency services through an alternative means.”

He told the hearing that TPG identified tens of thousands of mobile phones that would need software updates to make emergency calls, the ABC Online reports.

Industry figures have warned that uncontrolled shipments of grey-imported smartphones that typically use different combinations of frequencies compared to Australian phones risked not being able to connect to Tripe Zero.

Senator Hanson-Young said she had written to Ms Wells requesting her attendance at today’s hearing, but Ms Wells had declined. “Unfortunately, the Minister has declined to appear today,” she said.

Ms Wells, in a written response, said the outage was a tragedy but that as a Minister and MP she was accountable to the House of Representatives and therefore didn’t attend Senate hearings or committees.

However, it is understood members of the House of Representatives can attend Senate hearings as witnesses if invited as such.

Ms Wells has been facing intense scrutiny over her spending of around $100,000 on airfares for her and two of her staff to attend a conference where she spoke about Australia’s Under 16 social media ban.

The ban on under 16’s using 10 social media platforms comes into effect tomorrow.

She has also been under fire for her use of Commonwealth cars and of taxpayers’ funds for her and family members to attend sporting events including three AFL grand finals, for a ski trip and to attend a friend’s birthday party.

She says she has been transparent about her spending which was within government and parliamentary guidelines. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has backed her spending on taxpayer-funded trips.

Shadow Communications Minister Melissa McIntosh says 71 Samsung mobile devices had been found not to connect correctly to Triple Zero.

Optus last week revealed that as many as half a million phones may not connect to Triple Zero.

Samsung announced last month that, together with Australian mobile operators, it had identified a number of older phone models connected to the Vodafone network that may fail to make Triple Zero calls.

The issue arises particularly when a customer’s primary network is unavailable following the 3G shutdown. To ensure reliable access to emergency services, affected devices must be updated or replaced. Samsung stressed that newer models are not impacted.

Samsung is backing an Australian industry push to establish a register of phones that meet local network standards. This would make it easier to identify grey market phones where there is no guarantee they can make Triple Zero calls.

Ms Wells has directed telcos to establish public registers of network outages including Triple Zero call failures.